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Tuesday, 9 August 2011

We make no apology for reproducing this article almost two years after its original publication. In light of the frightening scenes we are witnessing in our major cities around the country, it seems most appropriate.

In a book published almost two years ago called "The Spoiled Generation" psychologist Dr Aric Sigman explored the erosion of discipline, respect and civility in the youth of the UK and the negaive effect it is having on society. We first posted an artcle about this in September 2009.

Dr Sigman accurately captured the growing sense of unease felt by a large percentage of the UK public. He said “Children of the spoilt generation are used to having their demands met by their parents and others in authority, and that in turn makes them unprepared for the realities of adult life. This has consequences in every area of society, from the classroom to the workplace, the streets to the criminal courts and rehabilitation clinics".

He suggested that children & young people’s rights must be curtailed and a firm hand is urgently needed if they are to be properly guided into adulthood.

Dr Sigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, continued: “Authority is a basic health requirement in children’s lives. But, while children have become increasingly ‘empowered’ in terms of legislation and rights, far from being protected, they are actually suffering in ways that could never have been foreseen.”

The police see the consequences of the "Spoiled Generation" every day on the street of the UK. - A 44% rise in assaults on police by children is surely a symptom of a much greater disease that will follow if not treated fast.

Respect for law and order and authority is fading rapidly as parents and schools fail in their duty to their children. The criminal justice system including the police are then just one of the groups of agencies that deal with the fall out. The empowering of children, however well intended, has served to undermine the authority of parents, teachers, police officers and other authority figures.

If the Government are to start the task of fixing our society, then surely there is no better place to start than here. By instilling some firm handed forgotten disciplines within the "spoiled sector" of our youth, there will at least be a glimmer of hope that the UK may once again be a pleasant place to live.

HOW RIGHT Dr SIGMAN WAS TWO YEARS AGO.

His words were indeed a wise prohecy of what was to come and what we are witnessing is a direct result of the spoiled youth among our communities, lawless and totally lacking in respect.

What we are witnessing is the result of a society in complete decay as a result of a small minority of our community. I wish it were as simple as saying they have lost their moral compass. In fact the have not just lost it, they have smashed it to smithereens and now happily grind the broken pieces into the faces of the hard working, law abiding folk with their wanton, greedy criminal activity. We are in the midst of frightening times. The global economy is in ever greater danger, with billions of pounds wiped from the value of Britain’s top companies on a daily basis over the past week. On the streets of London, mobs engaged in a third day of looting and arson, with the violence fast spreading across the capital and to other major cities.

What began in Tottenham has spawned an orgy of wanton greed where opportunistic thugs smash shop windows in broad daylight for a pair of designer trainers or a flat-screen TV.

Arrest figures indicate many of those involved are mere teenagers, who view looting as a game to be played out over the internet and Twitter. They have zero respect for the law or the livelihoods and homes they are destroying.

Sadly, for all the bravery of the officers sent out to confront these hooded mobs, the police face many worrying questions. Why, in the obviously tense aftermath of Mr Duggan’s shooting, were officers so unprepared and easily overwhelmed on the streets of Tottenham? Most disturbingly, just where were the police while buildings burned in London?

There can be no worse time for the Met to experienced the resignation of Scotland Yard’s two most senior officers over phone-hacking – a matter that history will record as piffling compared with the violence and criminality we are witnssing.

To her great credit, Home Secretary Theresa May immediately returned from her summer break to confront the crisis, but London Mayor Boris Johnson had to be dragged home late last night, with the damage to his reputation already done.

Meanwhile, the handwringing apologists on the Left relish the opportunity to try to blame the violence on poverty, social deprivation and a disaffected black youth. The ex-Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone risibly – and damnably – claimed ‘the economic stagnation and cuts being imposed by the Tory government’ were responsible – despite the fact the austerity programme has yet to begin in earnest.

Inevitably, the BBC is helping to peddle this myth – seeking out community leaders who blame a lack of youth clubs for the looting, and revelling in footage of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg being harangued by residents blaming ‘Coalition cuts’.

To blame the cuts is immoral and cynical. This has nothing to do with cuts. This is criminality – pure and simple – by yobs who have nothing but contempt for decent, law-abiding people.

Regardless of the propaganda being spewed out by the Left-wingers, this is not a repeat of the political riots that scarred the early 1980s, which were sparked by mass unemployment and alleged police racism. If anything, it was Labour’s nurturing of a benefits culture, in which youngsters believe there is no need to work to have a comfortable lifestyle, which sowed the seeds of the riots – not any ‘Coalition cuts’.

Ministers must make sure there is an adequate police response to ensure the thugs responsible are properly detained and get the punishment they deserve. If David Cameron want to restore order, he must keep the niave and utterly stupid views of Ken Clarke out of public earshot.

A firm judicial hand is required now. Arrest those responsible. Get them before the courts quickly. There can be no molly coddling justice for these yobs. Prison, and a good long hard dose of it is the only result that will restore the confidence of the law abiding majority. Magistrates and Judges, after these events more than ever, MUST demonstrate that our justice system CAN work. Worry about reoffending rates after they've served the full sentences for these atrocities. Speak to an average member of the public. You will find their views mirror those of the police officers, police bloggers and their contributors. They are not interested in theories about whether jail works or not. All they want is to be protected from the threat they face at the hands of these yobs. They want to see robust effective policing. They want to see this sort of behaviour punished to the full extent of the sentence for the offence. They want to see the offenders having a hard time of it in jail, deprived of the comforts and benefits they currently enjoy.

The rest of us can only watch events and pray the savagery and criminality spreads no further and quite simply, that justice is done for us all and IS SEEN TO BE DONE!

AND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, HEED THE WARNINGS OF ARIC SIGMAN AND HIS LIKE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.